A fresh twist emerged in the ongoing turmoil within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday as senior party MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay met Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and other BJP leaders in New Delhi. Bandyopadhyay was accompanied by rebel TMC MP Satabdi Roy, further fuelling speculation about growing support for the dissident faction seeking recognition as the party's legitimate parliamentary group.

While details of the meeting were not immediately disclosed, the development comes amid an escalating rebellion within the Mamata Banerjee-led party. Rebel leaders are preparing to approach Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla with a request to recognise their faction as the "real TMC" group in Parliament. Earlier this week, a group of dissident MPs had also held discussions at Yadav's residence in the national capital.

The rebel camp claims to have secured the backing of 19 TMC Lok Sabha members. Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, one of the prominent leaders of the faction, has publicly asserted that a majority of the party's MPs in the Lower House support the breakaway group. Sources within the camp said they want Bandyopadhyay to lead the faction in the Lok Sabha, a move that would increase its claimed strength to 20 MPs.

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The political crisis follows the TMC's defeat in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections, which triggered a major split within the party. Last week, 58 of the party's 80 MLAs reportedly broke away from the official legislature party and secured recognition as the principal opposition bloc in the state assembly under expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee. The dissident camp has since claimed that its support base has continued to expand.

The unrest has now spread to Parliament, where rebel MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar have claimed the support of more than 20 Lok Sabha members. A purported list carrying the names and signatures of 19 TMC MPs has circulated online, although the alleged communication sent to the Speaker has not been publicly released. Dissident leaders maintain that the document reflects widespread support for their recognition bid.

Meanwhile, the official TMC leadership has accused the BJP of orchestrating an "Operation Lotus" to engineer defections and weaken the party. Senior leaders have also criticised the rebels for allegedly maintaining ties with the BJP and abandoning party workers during a difficult political period. With competing claims over legislative strength and leadership, the confrontation is expected to intensify in both Parliament and West Bengal politics in the coming days.

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